


Two Goths Walk Into a Bar

by suzukigunichiban



Category: All Elite Wrestling
Genre: Dissociation, Light Intoxication, M/M, past implied/referenced abusive relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-24
Updated: 2020-01-24
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:47:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22381303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/suzukigunichiban/pseuds/suzukigunichiban
Summary: Jimmy gets a little flirtatious at a bar with the infamous Jackle.
Relationships: Jimmy Havoc/OMC, Jimmy Havoc/Original Male Character
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12





	Two Goths Walk Into a Bar

**Author's Note:**

> this was requested by one of my best friends, kiwi-buzzkill over on tumblr, for her oc, jackle, and jimmy havoc. if you're interested in the jackle, i encourage you to head on over to his tumblr and get to know personally one of my favorite ocs that a friend has. thanks for the request, sam! love you <3

Tuesday nights reminded Jimmy oddly of Kmart. Everything just kind of felt a few degrees below room temperature, a  _ little  _ dirty but nothing alarming, fluorescent light bulbs with an oddly colored shade on them that dimmed them  _ just _ enough for most people not to notice or question it, the same ten or so 80’s power ballads playing quietly in the background, someone’s baby was crying at the other end of the building, but no matter where Jimmy went, he felt alone surrounded by people.

Or maybe he was just dissociating as he nursed his third beer of the evening the night before Dynamite in a city he couldn’t be fucked to remember the name of in a bar that almost instantly triggered his fight or flight response upon arrival. That’s what he got for drinking alone, he supposed. 

Jimmy took a cursory glance around the rest of the bar, not surprised when no one caught his eye. There were only five people in, not including the bored bartender, who looked like he’d rather off himself than have a conversation with the weird English goth with the stupid haircut. Which, Jimmy supposed, was fair. He probably wouldn’t want to have a conversation with himself either. 

Jimmy sighed, a little too loudly and dramatically, mostly just to see if the bartender’s eye would twitch like it had when he asked him for another beer just moments before, and was satisfied to see that it had. Maybe that could be his new game, annoying the bartender. He’d tip handsomely to make up for it, of course, but he was just so  _ bored- _

Bright blue eyes lined in thick black liner flickered behind him with mild interest as he heard the door open, and that mild interest turned into something decidedly exuberant when he saw just who had come in. His night just went from tepid at best to something  _ far  _ more compelling. 

It wasn’t every night, after all, that one ran into the Jackle. 

If Jimmy had paid more attention, he probably would have noticed that WWE and AEW were going to be touring in the same city around the same time, which meant there were decent odds of some wrestlers running into each other. In a way, he was glad he hadn’t paid attention. This was a  _ lovely  _ surprise. 

“Got a seat right over here, if you’re interested, mate.” Jimmy offered, gesturing to the bar stool next to him when he saw the other wrestler looking around a little awkwardly for a place to be. He wasn’t expecting Jackle to take him up on it, but he was pleasantly surprised when he did. 

Birds of a feather, he supposed. Two goth pro wrestlers in one bar, what were the odds? 

“Jimmy, right?” Jackle asked, looking only briefly at Jimmy, before ordering a beer for himself. 

“Got it in one.” Jimmy confirmed, feeling proud that someone like the Jackle actually knew who the fuck he was, before nodding towards the bartender. Jimmy couldn’t tell if he looked pleased that there was someone to occupy Jimmy or upset that there was another freak in his bar. He really didn’t care either way. “Put it on my tab, love. Ta.” 

“You don’t have to do that.” Jackle said immediately, grabbing his beer and holding it almost protectively to himself. Jimmy’s head tilted to the side, giving the shorter man a cursory glance. “I can take care of myself.” 

“Oh, I know you can. It’s called ‘flirting’, handsome. I’m flirting with you.” Jimmy informed him, sipping at his own beer and watching with careful, calculated eyes, to see how Jackle took it. Which, somehow, someway, he didn’t seem to balk at the blatant come-on. Jimmy was honest to god expecting a punch to the face. This was a nice surprise. 

Instead, he went through a fascinating face journey: shocked, then confused, followed by upset, then flustered, and then a combination of flustered and confused that tinged his cheeks a pretty pink before mumbling under his breath, eyebrows furrowed in a cheap imitation of his usual scowl that Jimmy saw  _ right _ through. 

“... you don’t even know me.” Jackle grumbled, seemingly unable to meet Jimmy’s eyes. 

Jimmy shrugged a shoulder, turning a bit in his stool to face Jackle better. The direct approach seemed to be working for him so far. “I know that you’re the toughest fucker in the business. And I know the last  _ boy _ you had treated you, and I’m  _ heavily  _ underestimating here, like absolute fucking dog shit.” 

Jackle’s eyes turned icy, but much like the faux mean look from moments ago, Jimmy saw what was hiding underneath, and was entirely unphased. “What, and you wanna be my knight in shining fuckin’ eyeliner? Give me a break. I know how this story ends.” 

“‘You don’t even know me’.” Jimmy fired back, quoting the man himself directly. “I’m not saying let’s run off and elope. I’m saying you’re handsome, strong, mean, and I admire the shit out of you. And if you’d like, while we’re both in town, I’ll take you on a date, and we’ll see how things go. No commitments, no muss, no fuss. Just a date.” 

It was amusing, and very cute, watching all of Jackle’s vitriol and acid cool into something a bit smoother, like watching a house cat lower their tail, their fur losing their fluff and their back relaxing to a more casual posture - except it was a goth wrestler taking a sip of beer instead.

“And what if it doesn’t go well?” Jackle asked, looking cautiously at Jimmy from under his eyelashes. Jimmy’s own sharpness dulled as he realized that Jackle likely wasn’t exactly used to a no-strings-attached casual date, given that his last relationship was very widely known to be abusive. And while Jimmy knew probably more details than Jackle - or Wade - would prefer, since gossip between wrestlers spread like wildfire, he knew he didn’t know the full story, and reminded himself that he ought to be a bit more careful with his approach. 

At least until Jackle realized that Jimmy wasn’t out to hurt him. Not like the other guy. 

“Then we shake hands and go our separate ways, and live the rest of our lives hoping we don’t accidentally run into each other again because we don’t want to subject ourselves to the awkwardness.” Jimmy said plainly, and he thought he heard the bartender snort in amusement.  _ Eavesdropping twat.  _

Jackle was quiet, then, staring into his beer, as if it had all the answers. When he didn’t respond after a while, Jimmy spoke up again. 

“Or not. You’re not obligated or whatever the fuck.” Jimmy told him, reaching into his pocket, grabbing some random receipt and a sharpie, writing his number on the back and sliding it to Jackle. “I’ll tell you what. Take this, and ring me if you want, or throw it away, whatever you want to do, and I’ll leave you be for now.” 

Jimmy stood then, after grabbing his wallet and tossing enough money to cover his drinks, Jackle’s drink, and a decent enough tip on the counter, putting his coat back on and giving Jackle a little half smile. 

“If you decide you’re not interested, then it was good to at least meet you.” Jimmy said, as sincere as he possibly could be, nodding once at the quiet, confused man sitting at the bar. “Have a good night.” 

* * *

Jimmy was already about twenty minutes removed from the bar, walking back to his hotel because he couldn’t be bothered to call for a cab, when he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He grinned to himself as he read the text he’d received, feeling a certain type of giddy that he hadn’t felt in ages. He had a date with the Jackle. An actual, proper  _ date.  _

Jimmy certainly was one lucky bastard. And unlike  _ some _ people, he wasn’t going to toss this opportunity away.  _ Knight in shining eyeliner, in-fucking-deed. _

**Author's Note:**

> check out my tumblr at mjfisawhore for request info if you're interested!


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